The thing about Spa-Francorchamps is that it is, without question, the most beautiful circuit on the calendar. The Ardennes forest stretches out in every direction like a green cathedral, the air smells like pine needles and damp earth and high-octane fuel, and the weather is so spectacularly unpredictable that you can experience four seasons between Eau Rouge and the Bus Stop chicane.

Carlos Sainz loved Spa. He loved the way the track demanded respect, the way the mist rolled in over Les Combes like a living thing, the way the fans packed into the forest with their orange flares and their camping chairs and their absolute refusal to care about the rain.